Cultivator.



UNITED 5 ATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH ORANGE LAWRENCE, OF MONTICELLO, IOWA.

"CU LTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,493, dated November25, 1902.

Application filed April 8. 1902.

economic, and simple device adapted to hoe and thin out anydrilled crop,taking two rows at once, and to follow a planter of the same width.

Another purpose of the invention is to so construct a cultivator of thetype described that it may be drawn by a single horse and steered bymeans of horizontal handles extending rearward from the mainframe,whereby the disk hoes or cultivators may he kept exactly on therows being treated.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,

and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which sin ilarcharacters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device; andFig. 2 is a planview thereof, the

frame of the machine being shown as having a forward inclination.

ward and rearward direction, as is shown in Fig. 2. A crank-shaft B isrigidly carried by these hangers 11 and 12, and said shaft is providedwith three crank-arms 13, 13, and 14. The crank-arms 13 and 13 arebetween the intermediate and end hangers and extend horizontallyrearward, and the crank-arm 14 is between the two intermediate hangersand extends horizontally forward, the acute bends Serial No. 101.897.(No model.)

, in the said crank-arn1s being centrally located with respect to thehangers between which the crank-arms occur. Each crank-arm 13 and 13 isprovided with two disk cutters 15, the opposing or inner faces of whichare convexed and their outer faces concaved. These disk cutters 15 areloosely mounted on the crank-arm, one at each side of the center of thecrank-arm at angles to each other, the angularity in the position ofeach set of disk cutters being such that the disks of a set approacheach other quite closely at their forward ends and are quite widelyseparated at their rear edges, as is also shown in Fig.2. The disks of apair are held spaced apart by washers 16 or their equivalents, and eachdisk is preferably provided with a hub 17, secured at its outer face,and these hubs are loosely mounted on the crank-shaft and extend toadjacent hangers.

At the central portion of the central crank arm 14 a shifting arm 18 isrigidly secured, and this arm extends upward and rearward and isprovided with notches 19 in its rear edge.

The handles 20 are hinged to the rear face of the frame-beam 10 betweenits center and its ends, which handles are to be held in a horizontalposition by the operator, and by means of the handles the operatorguides the device to keep the disk cutters over a row. The handles areconnected bya cross-bar 21, upon the center of which astandard 22 issecured having a forward inclination, and in this standard a slot 23 ismade. The shifting bar 18 passes through this slot, which acts as aguide for the bar, and the entire standard serves as a keeper for theshifting bar.

The shifting bar 18 can be released from its keeper at any time throughthe medium of a lever 24, pivoted at the under side of the cross-bar 21and having a head 25 at its inner end to engage the notched edge of theshifting bar. The lever extends out beyond one of the handles 20, and acord or rope 26 is attached to the outer end of the lever and I to ahandle, enabling a person holding the handles to operate the lever atany time. When the shifting bar 18 is released from the keeper, theframe may be given a forward and rearward inclination by simply pushingICO the handles forward or pulling them rearward. Rings 27 are attachedto the lower ends of the intermediate hangers 12, and the ends of adraft rope or chain 28 are secured to the rings.

By means of the handles 20 the device can be conveniently steered tokeep the disks upon a row, and should the horse get to one side of thecenter between the rows the operator can still steer the devicestraight, as the draft will come upon one or the other side section ofthe draft-rope.

The shoes of nearly all planters are about two inches wide. Thus theseed is spread out to that width, and such will be about the distancebetween the disks of a pair at their rear or diverging edges. Byadjusting the frame A forward or backward the rows can be trimmed toreduce them in width to any desired extent; but enough of the hills willbe left at all times to properly support the plants that are to remain,all surplus plants being cut out by the disks.

WVhen the frame A is moved forward, the spaces between those portions ofthe disks acting on the rows will be made narrower and a minimum widthof material in a row will be left standing; but when the frame isinclined rearward the diverging portions of the disks will he broughtinto action and the width of the rows will be proportionately increased.Itis evident that the change in the position of the frame may be madewithout stopping the horse.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a cultivator, a frame, disk cutters arranged inpairs and mounted to revolve within the frame, the forward edges of thecutters of each pair converging and their rear edges diverging, handleshaving a hinge connection with the frame, and a shifting bar for theframe, controlled by the handle portion of the device, whereby the framemay be given a forward or a rearward inclination, as described.

2. In cultivators, a frame, a crank-shaft secured to the frame, saidshaft being provided with three crank-arms, a centralforwardly-extending crank-arm and a crankarm at each side of the center,having a rearward extension, disks mounted to revolve upon the outercrank-arms, which disks converge at their forward edges and diverge attheir rear edges, and handles hinged to the frame at a point above thesaid crank-shaft, for the purpose described.

3. In cultivators, a frame, a crank-shaft secured to the frame, saidshaft being pro vided with three crank-arms, a centralforwardly-extending crank-arm and a crankarm at each side of the center,having a rearward extension, disks mounted to revolve upon the outercrank-arms, which disks converge at their forward edges and diverge attheir rear edges, handles hinged to the frame at a point above the saidcrank-shaft, a shifting bar attached to the central crank-arm of thecrank-shaft, a keeper for the said bar carried by the said handles, anda releasing-lever for the shifting bar likewise carried by the handles,as described.

4. In a cultivator, the combination with a frame, a crank-shaftstationarily attached to the frame, which crank-shaft is provided with aforwardly-extending crank-arm and a crankarm at each side of the centerextending rearwardly, disk cutters mounted to revolveupon the crank-armsat each side of the center of the shaft, the forward edges of whichdisks converge and their rear edges diverge, a draft device attached tothe frame at each side of the central crank-arm, handles having a hingedconnection with the frame and extending rearwardly therefrom, and meansfor adjusting said frame forwardly or rearwardly to change the cuttingaction of the disks, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH ORANGE LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

LOUIS GARDNER, ED. N. HOWARD.

